Journeys have Beginnings and Endings

Photo by Elyce Feliz

Scripture: Acts 14:6-7

they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Insights: Our final thought this week deals with beginnings and endings.  Notice in today’s verses that Paul and Barnabas began new ministries in Lycania, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region.  Also notice they ended their ministry in Iconium.  This pattern of starting new things and ending old things is a constant method found in the Scriptures.  I will tell you I personally struggle with the ending of ministries and work.  One of the lessons instilled in me from my parents is you don’t quit something you begin.  I think this life lesson is fantastic and many people do not have enough fortitude to see something to the end.  At the same time, this biblical pattern of the Lord starting and ending things is also a paramount truth.  The Lord is all about new things.  Look at Revelation 21:5, “‘And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’”  God is and has been in the process of starting things with the determined purpose to make all things new after He redeems His bride.  We are called to join Him in this journey and that means somethings we do will be start ups and other things we do is end ministries or works that are no longer affective.  Walking this truth out is hard to do because of all the different nuances of growth.  In other words, there are times you need to just press on a little longer and then amazing breakthroughs begin to happen.  Other times you need to count the cost and let something just die because it is just not producing fruit.  But how do you know when to persevere and when to end something?  The answer is, listen to the Holy Spirit.  He is the only One who can truly guide you, but again, this ability to hear is not always easy.  Let me challenge you to spend time regularly with the Lord and learn to hear His voice very clearly.  The closer you get to Him, the easier it will be to distinguish His voice from all the other voices fighting for you attention.  You will be blessed if you follow hard after Him.

Questions:

1. What ministry or work is God calling you to end presently?

2. What ministry or work is God calling you to begin presently?

Prayer: Father, help me to be sensitive to You and Your ways.  Give me the courage to stop and to start the ministries and works to which You have called me. Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.

Journeys have Unexpected Moments

Photo by Dan Cederholm

Scripture: Acts 14:5

And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them,

Insights: I was hiking my way up to Rocky Top and I was coming around a fairly tight switch back. I startled something and it created such a sound I about had a heart attack.  From my vantage point I could not see what was on the other side of this switch back, but all of this noise was coming my way and rapidly.  I thought a bear was about to maul me.  What it turned out to be as it flew just past me was a wild turkey and at that point in my life I was unaware of the noise they could make.  For that matter I did not know they could even fly.  I was completely surprised by the event and I really thought my heart was going to jump right out of my chest.  Let me turn to our verse for the day.  Yesterday we learned Paul and Barnabas had been in this town for some time.  I think they thought they had finally found a town in which they were not going to be persecuted and then we come to today’s verse.  The rulers began to make a plot in which they were going to stone Paul and Barnabas and I have a sense they were surprised by this sudden change in temperament in this town.  In our journey of faith there are going to be surprises.  We are going to be going on our merry way with the Lord and all of a sudden Satan is going to throw a wrench into our work and mess it all up.  Often times when he does this dastardly work we are not prepared or ready for it and we are caught off guard—we are surprised.  Beloved, I think part of the reason the Lord allows these moments to occur is to create a dependence in our lives on Him.  He does not want us to be self-sufficient and these surprising moments have a way of turning us toward the Lord.  I am not certain we will ever get used to the surprises, but we can grow to the point we understand they are going to come in our lives.  We can also get to the point when they do come that we quickly turn it over to the Lord.

Questions:

1. What are some things that have surprised you in your faith journey?

2. Have you come to a place in your walk with the Lord were you are more tolerant of the unexpected?

Prayer: Father, I like things to be ordered and ordered to the way I like them.  You, however, are the One truly in charge and You orchestrate events to make me more dependent on You.  Help me to learn this lesson. Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.

Journeys have Endurance Moments

Photo by J C Merriman

Scripture: Acts 14:3-4

Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.  But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

Insights: There is a third lesson I learned on my hiking journeys through the Smokey Mountains.  We would often times hike ten to fourteen miles a day in order to get to our next scheduled camp spot.  Some days I would feel stronger than other days.  Though this passage does not point to what I am about to mention, I do recall that on the days I was not strong someone else in our group would be and they would encourage me.  As a result, I would make it to the end.  On the days I was strong I would encourage the one who was week and because we did this, we always made it to our destinations.  The point I was truly focusing on, however, is that ten to fourteen mile days calls for endurance.  When we do something for a very long time, we need to endure.  Paul and Barnabas had been in most locations a week or two, maybe three at the most.  Here, however, the verse tells us they were there a long time speaking boldly and with reliance on the Lord.  They may have felt as if they had arrived.  There are a plethora of other emotions and thoughts they may have had.  What I desire to point out is it takes endurance to do ministry in one location for any length of time.  The average pastor stays at the local church just over three years.  There are a lot of reasons for this fact, but what we know is if a pastor will endure to year five, things begin to change.  They are then able to have some amazing fruit filled days.  There are some amazing statistical information about the long tenured pastor.  Beloved, even though I was referencing pastors in the preceding verses, the fact of endurance applies to you as well.  We are all on this journey with the Lord.  Many people fall down and never get back up.  The cares of this world stop them from pressing on and experiencing more of Christ Jesus.  To the one, however, who does press on and endure through the hard times of life or the dry times of life great joy is experience.  Let me encourage you to press on and endure.

Questions:

1. In what ways are you enduring with your faith?

2. Have you fallen down and not gotten back up?

Prayer: Father, Satan tries to trick us often and tell us it is not worth the endurance and fight.  Strengthen my faith Lord and help me to walk valiantly with You through all the years. Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.

Journeys have Low Moments

Photo by Jim Surkamp

Scripture: Acts 14:2

But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.

Insights: There have been times in my life in which people have been embittered against me.  These moments were never fun and I can say I truly did not relish those moments like I do the high moments.  We are using this week the analogy of a journey.  One of the things that was always a truth in my backpacking trips during college was when we reached the top, we would start going back down into a valley.  At the top there was sunshine and cool breezes.  In the valley there were dark shadows and the air did not move as freely.  From the top you could see for miles, but from the valley your vision was limited to your path and a few yards of foliage.  This thought is true in our spiritual life as well.  We will walk these times in the valley.  We will be attacked by those who do not see the big picture which we saw on the mountain top.  In the valley it is much more difficult to hear the voice of our Father, but His path is right there before us and He calls us to walk on it.  I have encouraged you to read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress before and I encourage you again.  This weeks Thoughts by Scott mirror that amazing allegory very well.  The difference is Bunyan has an amazing talent of painting a life picture through his character Christian that I do not possess.  Beloved, when you are in the low moments on your journey with Jesus, I would encourage you to find the life lessons He wants you to learn.  The Father is not caprice in His nature and does not take us through low moments for some twisted pleasure.  He does allow, and sometimes even guides us through, these low moments so we can learn something new about Him.  Sometimes the new thing is not actually new, but a deeper, more richer understanding of who He is.  When you are in these low moments ask Him what He wants you to know and then fix your heart on these lessons until you reach the high moment again.  Let me tell you another truth I learned on these backpacking trips.  When you did reach the lowest point, the trail took us back up to the next high point.  Your spiritual journey does the same thing.  Enjoy Him in the journey.

Questions:

1. What are some of the low moments in your journey with Jesus?

2. What life lessons do these low moments teach you about the Lord?

Prayer: Father, it is not an easy thing for me to thank You for the low moments, but You have told us to give You thanks in everything.  May You use these low moments of my life and teach me more about You and Your great love for me. Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.

Journeys have High Moments

Photo by Paojus Alquiza

Scripture: Acts 14:1

In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.

Insights: I believe it is a pretty fair assessment of this passage to say it is a high moment to see a large number of people coming to know the Lord Jesus as Savior.  This week we conclude our current sermon series on Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey.  Now there are more verses to their journey, but this is where we are going to depart from them.  Throughout this week we are going to use this imagery of journey.  When I was in college, three of my spring breaks were spent backpacking through the Smokey Mountains.  One of the things I learned about these journeys is that there are some amazing high moments on every trip I took.  This same truth is found in our spiritual journeys with the Lord.  There are times we experience amazing high moments.  Think about Peter, James and John on the mount of transfiguration with Jesus.  Think about Elijah on mount Carmel.  Think about Moses at the parting of the Red Sea.  I think it is not a far stretch to say these individuals had high moment encounters with God.  We also have high moments in our journey as well.  At FBC Bowling Green we have had many high moments.  In recent days I have written about some of our Carrying Christ to Our Community (C3) events.  We have had three families come visit our church as a direct result of our last community event in which we picked up trash throughout the city.  I think part of the reason the Lord gives us these high moments is to strengthen our faith.  We see God do these amazing things and we know if He is faithful to work once, He is faithful to work again.  These high moments stretch our faith and help us to believe in greater possibilities.  Enjoy the day and experience a high moment in Jesus today.  On a side note, FBC Bowling Green is sending a team on a mission trip to Ecuador.  Please pray for the team leaving and pray the Lord gives them some high moments.

Questions:

1. What are some of the high moments in your journey with Jesus?

2. Do you relish the joy of experiencing these high moments?

Prayer: Father, Your strength and power is what makes these high moments possible.  Thank You for Your amazing grace You give to Your children. Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.

Easter is Just Around the Corner

Photo by Jack Wolf

On Monday I mentioned I was going to write about Easter every now and then in my blog posts.  Today, I am going to center all of my thoughts on Easter.  There are several things statistics tell us (I gleaned these truths from multiple podcasts from Rainer on Leadership) about Easter.  Let me give you two statistics which are similar regarding Christmas-Eve services and Easter services.  Christmas-Eve services are the highest attended services of people who have had no previous church affiliation.  In other words, the Christmas-Eve service is the service more lost people who have no church background are willing to attend than any other service throughout the year.  Easter is the second highest attended service, but those who typically come to it are those who did have a church background, but have left the church.

In either one of these situations, however, we are inviting people who more than likely do not have a relationship with the Lord.  In either one of these days we are more receptive to have someone respond with receptivity than on any other day throughout the year.  Let us not miss the opportunity this year.  Let us be intentional right now to begin inviting people to church.  You can always invite them this Sunday, but you can also begin prepping them for Easter.  Start the conversations now to get them thinking about it.  Invite them to lunch.  Offer to pick them up.  Do whatever you can to remove their excuses and to be receptive to your invitation.

I want you to keep this thought in mind as well as we approach Easter.  You have the message of eternal life.  Every person who dies without a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus is going to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  If we examine the truth of this future reality, then we would not honestly want the most vile of person to go there.  We would rather have them enter into a relationship with Jesus and be transformed into a new creation.  Jesus is capable of performing this miraculous work.  The problem, and it is not really a problem, is Jesus uses us as His mouthpiece.  We are His ambassadors of reconciliation with a lost world.  We are the ones commissioned to go and to tell.  We have the most important message in all the world and Easter is the easiest time to share this message.

So, I only have one question?  Who will you invite to Easter service this year?

On another note, please don’t forget to change your clocks this weekend.  It is time to spring them forward and lose that one hour of sleep.  Make plans to be at church on time.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.

Progress is Dependent on the Holy Spirit

Photo by Manfred Majer

Scripture: Acts 13:52

And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Insights: This blog is the final Thoughts by Scott this week regarding my sermon Sunday.  The final thought is this: progress is dependent on the Holy Spirit.  Notice in today’s verse the recent converts, now called disciples, were continually filled with the Holy Spirit.  Paul and Barnabas were no longer present and could not make certain they were going to grow in their faith, but they left them a better Teacher than themselves, the Holy Spirit.  Beloved, it is absolutely vital for us to understand our dependence on the Holy Spirit.  We, as human beings, are highly resourceful creatures.  Our own productivity can, if we are not careful, lead us to believe we really are the power behind progress.  I want to remind you, however, of Jesus words.  He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).”  In another location we are taught “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).”  Power is not from us.  The lure and enticement of Satan is to make us think we are self-resilient, but we are not.  We are creations of the Lord God and He designed us to be dependent on Him.  Whenever we forget this truth we find ourselves walking down a path that leads to destruction.  Let me encourage you to draw near to God and let His Spirit which resides in you to be your strength.  Trust Him for the progress of your life and don’t attempt to manipulate the situations to your advantage.  The bi-product of such a life is also found in today’s verse.  We will live a life filled with joy.  Far too many people live life without this vital attribute, but Jesus promises to give us His joy in John 15:11 and in John 16:22 He tells us no one can take our joy from us.  The problem is we can give it away and when we are living life in our own strength we will quickly find ourselves giving up the joy Christ Jesus promised us.  Let me encourage you to be fully and completely dependent on the Holy Spirit for your power.  You will be very grateful you did.

Questions:

1. Are you dependent on the Holy Spirit?

2. Are you trying to muscle through it and make it work?

Prayer: Father, teach me quickly the frailty of my own strength.  Help me to grow in my relationship with You and to understand Your omnipotent power.  Let me live a life out of Your strength and not my own. Amen.

If you have found this blog to be helpful, please forward it in Facebook or retweet it in Twitter.  Thank you.